treacle

American  

[tree-kuhl] / ˈtri kəl /

noun

1. contrived or unrestrained sentimentality.

   a movie plot of the most shameless treacle.

2. British.

   1. molasses, especially that which is drained from the vats used in sugar refining.

   2. Also called golden syrup. a mild mixture of molasses, corn syrup, etc., used in cooking or as a table syrup.

3. Pharmacology, Obsolete. any of various medicinal compounds, formerly used as antidotes for poison.

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treacle British  

/ ˈtriːkəl /

noun

1. Also called: black treacle. a dark viscous syrup obtained during the refining of sugar

2. another name for golden syrup

3. anything sweet and cloying

4. obsolete any of various preparations used as an antidote to poisoning

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Other Word Forms

• treacliness
  noun
• treacly
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of treacle

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, variant of triacle “antidote,” from Middle French, Old French, from Latin thēriaca, from Greek thēriakḗ, noun use of feminine of thēriakós “concerning wild beasts,” equivalent to thērí(on) “wild beast” ( thḗr “wild beast” + -ion diminutive suffix) + -akos -ac

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Explanation

Use the noun treacle to describe a book or a song that is so sweet and sappy that it makes you feel a little sick. Treacle is literally a type of thick, sticky syrup — that might help you remember its primary, figurative meaning as non-food that’s syrupy and sentimental. When someone lays on the flattery, that's treacle, as are overly sentimental music and calling your girlfriend "schmoopy-poo." Interestingly, the word treacle was originally used to mean "poison antidote," from the Greek root word thēriakē, "antidote for venom."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

treacle

Mr Hudson said that talking to the government about the issue had been like "going through treacle".

From BBC ● May 1, 2024

He was the one who saved it because apparently mine was treacle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2023

But the lime changes things, adding sour to the sweet, tart to the treacle and a dash of pucker to the saccharine.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023

The Scottish musician, who specializes in pop treacle, is foulmouthed the way a young child is — cheekily and cuddly, without a fleck of harm.

From New York Times ● May 6, 2023

In the meantime, they returned to the basement kitchen, where Kreacher served them all stew and treacle tart.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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